The Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Creationism (2018)

reflected back downward. This total internal reflection can be quite efficient, which is the reason “single-mode” (only propagating light along their long axis) optical fibers using it can transmit light for great distances (Saleh and Teich, 1991). To adapt eq. (1) to the situation at hand, call the speed of light in the fabric of space c and the postulated much higher speed of light in hyperspace v . Then the equation for the critical angle becomes: So if v in hyperspace is very much higher than c in our space, the critical angle will be very small. Light will be able to enter or leave our space only if it is very close to being parallel with the w -direction. In our analogy to four dimensions the circular base of the cone of acceptance represents a sphere. That means the electromagnetic power lost from an emitting object in our space will be proportional to the cube of the small critical angle. See eq. (7) in the section after the next. Under these ordinary circumstances, the fraction of power lost would be very small. OPENING THE HEAVENS End note 27 of my 2014 paper went on to suggest, … It may be that occasionally God enables light and matter from hyperspace to enter the fabric of our space, which could explain the instances of the heavens being “opened” in Scripture. He could do this by modifying the reflecting surfaces in a number of ways to increase the critical angle, or alternatively, make the surfacesmore transparent. That would permit more electromagnetic radiation not only to enter our space (at an angle we can detect), but also permit more to leave it. Since according to quantum theory, matter is also a wave phenomenon, conceivably matter also would be able to enter or leave our space in these special circumstances. The degree of opening could well vary, and it could be different for different wavelengths (as in anti-reflective coatings for lenses), and also different for matter. Many scriptures apparently refer to such an opening of the heavens , or similar phrases and ideas: 2 Ki. 7:2,19; Psa. 78:23; Ezek. 1:1; Mal. 3:10; Matt. 3:16; Mark 1:10; Lk. 3:21; Jn. 1:51; Acts 7:56, 9:3, and Rev. 19:11. Two more verses refer to the beginning and middle of the year of the Genesis Flood: In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the windows of the heavens were opened . — Gen. 7:11 Also the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed , and the rain from the sky was restrained — Gen 8:2 I have translated the phrases in bold font literally from the Hebrew text. Many creationists, including myself, have long thought that “the windows of the heavens” are just a picturesque way to say “rain”, but the end of Gen. 8:2 adds, “and the rain from the sky was restrained.” That would be redundant if the previous phrase, “the windows of the heavens were closed,” meant simply that the rain stopped. Taking the two verses literally implies that sections of the heavens can be opened or closed, and through those sections matter (in this case water), as well as light (indicated by some of the other verses above), can come or go. It is especially significant that the above two verses apply to the Genesis flood, because RATE found evidence that there was a great acceleration in both nuclear decay and cooling during that year. Below I suggest that the opening of the heavens during that and other periods would cause the accelerated cooling. BLACK-BODY RADIATION INTO HYPERSPACE When I wrote end note 27 for my 2014 paper, it did not occur to me that other types of electromagnetic radiation besides visible light might come or go through the windows of heaven. But a very important type of electromagnetic radiation is the thermal radiation (often called black-body radiation) emitted by all bodies warmer than absolute zero. See Fig. 8. For incandescent objects, most of the thermal radiation is visible light. For objects at room temperature, most of the radiation is infrared, showing up in sniperscopes. For objects just a few degrees above absolute zero, most of the radiation has centimeter wavelengths, such as in the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation. For a body of surface area A and emissivity ε (for a perfect black body ε = 1; for other “grey” bodies, ε ˂ 1), the Stefan-Boltzmann law says the total power P emitted in thermal radiation from the surface is proportional to the fourth power of the absolute temperature T (in Kelvin, K): The Stefan-Boltzmann constant, σ , is determined by the Boltzmann constant k , Planck’s constant h , and the speed of light c : (Jenkins and White, 1950, p. 431; Reif, 1965). Ordinarily, atoms at and very near the surface of the body are the only ones contributing to the emitted power. However, if the windows of the heavens are open, then all the atoms throughout the interior of the body can emit radiation in the 4 th direction. In that case, the emitting area A becomes the surface area of all the atoms in the volume V of the body Humphreys ◀ Accelerated cooling ▶ 2018 ICC 735 Figure 7. Critical angle of acceptance θ c and total internal reflection under water.